NEUROTRANSMITTERS
Serotonin: The feel good hormone. When Serotonin is balanced you feel peaceful, calm and as if everything is okay.
Keyword: Safety
Dopamine: The creative hormone. When Dopamine is balanced you feel creative and motivated. Humans are creative beings, and if Dopamine is low you don’t feel right. You feel something is missing.
Keyword: Purpose
MSG (Glutamates): MSG is a food additive that enhances the flavor of food. It demonizes salt. MSG is classified as an excitotoxin. An excitotoxin excites cells so much that they actually die! MSG is literally a cellular bomb.
1. MSG creates the need for Ritalin. MSG came on the scene strong in the 70s as “Accent” the flavor enhancer. The so called behavioral problems are becoming more prevalent in our society as the usage of MSG becomes more and more common place. If you eating out or eat packaged food you are getting a large dose of MSG.
2. MSG makes it very difficult for your body to naturally balance itself hormonally and neurochemically. If you or your child is on Ritalin and you are consuming MSG it will be extremely difficult to maintain balance and the result will be moodiness. Moodiness is simply the fluctuation of chemicals and hormones in the brain. If your chemicals and hormones are uncontrollably going up and down so will your mood and attitude!
3. MSG can easily lead to addiction of conflict, caffeine, cocaine and methamphetamine, etc.
SUGAR
ScienceDaily (Dec. 11, 2008) — A Princeton University scientist will present new evidence today demonstrating that sugar can be an addictive substance, wielding its power over the brains of lab animals in a manner similar to many drugs of abuse.
"...The researchers conducted the studies by restricting rats of
their food while the rats slept and for four hours after waking. "It's a little
bit like missing breakfast," Hoebel said. "As a result, they quickly eat some
chow and drink a lot of sugar water." And, he added, "That's what is called
binge eating -- when you eat a lot all at once -- in this case they are bingeing
on a 10 percent sucrose solution, which is like a soft drink."
Hungry rats that binge on sugar provoke a surge
of dopamine in their brains. After a month, the structure of the brains of these
rats adapts to increased dopamine levels, showing fewer of a certain type of
dopamine receptor than they used to have and more opioid receptors. These
dopamine and opioid systems are involved in motivation and reward, systems that
control wanting and liking something. Similar changes also are seen in the
brains of rats on cocaine and heroin.
In experiments, the researchers have been able to induce signs of withdrawal in
the lab animals by taking away their sugar supply. The rats' brain levels of
dopamine dropped and, as a result, they exhibited anxiety as a sign of
withdrawal. The rats' teeth chattered, and the creatures were unwilling to
venture forth into the open arm of their maze, preferring to stay in a tunnel
area. Normally rats like to explore their environment, but the rats in sugar
withdrawal were too anxious to explore."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210090819.htm
Serotonin and insulin
Here is how ingesting sugar -- or some carbohydrate that is broken down into sugar after digestion -- can alter our mood for the better. When we digest carbohydrates, our blood sugar levels rise, and then insulin is secreted, lowering the blood levels of most amino acids with the exception of tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin. When there is more tryptophan than other amino acids, it enters the brain at a higher rate. The brain then produces more serotonin. (See the GO ASk ALICE link provided.)
Serotinin is a substance found both in our brains and in our gastrointestinal tract. Serotonin has many functions. In the brain, it acts as neurotransmitter, and it helps to regulate mood.
Antidepressants are also called serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, preventing the supply of serotonin in the brain from going down. However, antidepressants are not the only way to elevate serotonin levels. Many ordinary people self-medicate when they are feeling depressed by eating lots of carbohydrates. We don't need a doctor to prescribe us a placebo. We crave carbs when we are feeling down, and eating carbs can be an effective means of elevating our mood. The problem is that the effect only lasts for a little while, and then the patient comes crashing down, in need of an even higher dose of carbs.
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